Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-06-09
srBMoRrAL ssRafos.

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Convention adjourned
MBMORKAL SERMON.
BIshoP Wtiliatus' EIoqusnt and AZ
fccti0mAte rrtbuse 90 Esiah0p Loe az
~. Andrews church.
Every pew In st. Andrews Church
was filled to excess Thursday night. The
occasion was the delivery of the me.
mortal sermon on the late bishop of
this diocese, the Rt. Rev. Alfred Lee,
by the Rt. Rev. John Williams, Il. D.,
LII. D., the presiding bishop of the
Episcopal church in this country. st.
Andrews still maintains its funereal
garb of solemn black drapsry In sano-
tuary, along the altar rails, the aisies
and in the choir-loft. Among tie audi
ence were seen many of those Just re-
turned from the recent diocesan eonven-
| tion, including both clergymen and lay
men from the lower counties. Within
| the altar rails Bishop Williams WAS ns-
sisted in the evenings services by the
| Rev. Charles e. Murray, rector of st.
Andrews, and the Revs. p. B. Lightner,
George M. Bond, Lewis w. Gibson and
7. Gardiner Lttell.
When the evening lessons had been
read, and after the choir had sung an
anthem Bishop Williams ascended the
pulpit. Before announcing his text the
bishop referred to the remarkable coin
cidence that he found he had chosen the
same words for the evening that had been
selected by the pastor OF st. Andrews
in his memorial address upon the de-
ceased Bishop Lee before the diocese OF
Delaware.
The preacher gave out the text from
Acts xI, "a, "For he was a good man and
full of the Holy Ghost and Of faith and
| much people was added unto the Lord"
The bishop described the character of
Barnabas, one of rare beauty and in
terest. That early missionary apostle
stands prominently out in the first
| strength of the new church. Later on
| Barnabas appeared seeking Paul and
gently and modestly leading him to
Antioch to occupy position he himself
held and which IL was his destiny to
sacrifice TO Paul. The words of the text
refer to his character, "for he was q
good man. The character of Barnabas
grows better from continued acquain-
tance. The more il is known apprecia.
l Nlbh lOf IL UDbOIibb tho kt0htOAs 4
| first received the unexpected message,
continued the bishop, which brought tue
Rad intelligence 10 so many homes, and
when the honor was proffered me of de-
| livering the memorial sermon upon the
beloved bishop Of this diocese. 1t seemed
10 me that no more appropriate words
| than those have chosen could be used
ON this occasion.
q "a nH Al.a hfwfI, nF pfphnFa M
our church had reached its lowest ebb, so
\ that in 1871 II was question whether 1t
might not be necessary to seek
aid from the mother church in
| EnRland 70 fll the varinna sees
OF the Episcopal church in this country.
But subsequently to that dark moment
there suddenly arose among us an aooes-
| sion Of great names whose high Chris
tian standing impressed the bishops
| bench with q strong personal individu-
ality, which has been mainte ned ever
since. In 1886 the church rose TO recog-
milton of its duties. We all remember
that in 1887 our first missionary bishop,
Alfred Lee, entered upon his work. No
wonder that the flame burned brightly
within him to the end of his life. The
missionary spirit lived in his spirit. In
his two missionary journeyings he evil
denced all this.
| Bishop Williams then made short
sketch Of the deceased prelate's earlier
work, paying high tribute to his faithful
ness to the minor charges held by him
| previous to his call to the episcopate. His
| fine native ability was trained in liberal
education. There can be little doubt but
that his legal training aided him In his
remarkable executive decisions. Bishop
| Williams was confident that every one of
his brethren upon the Episcopal bench
would agree with the speaker in his high
estimate of the exceptional value of the
deceased as presiding bishop Of the
\ church. The speaker knew him for SO
| years and considered that among Bishop
Lees signal attributes were an extreme
| courtesy and consideration for the
opinion OF others, opinions which he
/ oourted upon occasion when his own
decision might readily and with judicial
exaotitude have closed the question.
| The notable fruits of his episoopate Of
more than a score of years are
evidenced oil around in the diocese of Del
aware. The speaker cited the increase in
the number of churches and communi
cants, and compared the present status
of this diocese with its condition at the
time of Bishop Lees oonsecration. In re-
ferring to the work accomplished by him
in Delaware, Bishop Williams asked how
much of its most effective phase is invisi-
BILE md secret. How the deceased bishop
held up the weak, brought back the err
ing, sought out the outoast and comforted
the poor. As in the natural world, so ia
the spiritual tho unseen forcts were the
stronger. The speaker quoted from the
rubric, in the charge to n newly conse'
Grated bishop, "giye heed unto reading"
He suggested the idea TINT tho keeping up
of information does not necessarily make
a scholar, much less a Christian
scholar. Bishop Lees scholarship was
thorough. It always moved towards, and
centred in, the New Testament OF our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ The
school TO which Bishop Leo belonged
had nothing in affinity with the modern
destructive school. He was firmly OPP
posed TO changes in the formula Of the
fubrio as handed down to us from the
Church OF England. This position he
manfully and consistently maintained
throughout his extended episcopate, He
never gave o stiff handed or faltering al
legiance to the church of which he was
chief pastor. His doctrine was not, with
him, either distractions or speculations,
II entered into his character, as Jeremy
Taylor said, theology is rather divine
life than divine knowledge. Bishop
Lee showed himself sgentle and mereiful
to poor and needy people, and to stran-
gers destitute Of help" What o
promise of this work of kindness was
shown in the episcopate of the gentle
hand Of him OF whom we speak. The
low-breathed whisper recurs which
believe will be said to him at the rising
| Of the Just, "InAsmuch as ye have done
II unto the least of these, my brethren,
ye have done 1t unto me-" In all the
grand characters of pastor, bishop
scholar, theologian and churchman, hs
was faithful in all--faithful In life, and
faithful unto death. We thank God thai
he is with us, of the communion of saint /
for s'he was good man and full Of th,
Holy Ghost and of faith; and muct
people was added unto the Lord.n
At the close of the sermon Bishop vii
liams laid hands on large class of can
didates for confirmation.